Fiction

Meantime

Meantime

  • Downloads：8593
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-09-26 06:53:46
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Frankie Boyle
  • ISBN：1399801155
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Glasgow， 2015。 When Valium addict Felix McAveety's best friend Marina is found murdered in the local park， he goes looking for answers to questions that he quickly forgets。 In a haze of uppers， hallucinogens， and diazepam， Felix enlists the help of a brilliant but mercurial GP; a bright young trade unionist; a failing screenwriter; semi-celebrity crime novelist Jane Pickford; and his crisis fuelled downstairs neighbour Donnie。

Their investigation sends them on a bewildering expedition that takes in Scottish radical politics， Artificial Intelligence， cults， secret agents， smugglers and vegan record shops。

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Reviews

Laura ，

Would have been a 3 but the ending was great。

Daren Kearl ，

An enjoyable novel that had more than a few laugh out loud asides。 Boyle’s acerbic wit and observations about his characters and bit players are what you would expect based on his stand up and don’t disappoint。 The plot is a framework to hang all this on but it’s not convoluted or implausible， sticking to the gritty realms of Glasgow crime。

Judi Mckay ，

Great writing， occasionally funny， always controversial， but I have to confess that most of the time I had no idea what was going on。 4 stars because it made me keep on reading anyway。

James Russell ，

Interesting one this。 A lot of the characters conversations seemed to be used as an outlet to tell Frankie’s ideas about the world。 I agree with most of them， but I think for the sake of the medium， there could have been less of this as it gives people who don’t agree the opportunity to disregard what is a really funny， heartbreaking， unpredictable， beautiful story。I’d have probably given this five stars if it was a bit tighter in the edit， but overall I really， really enjoyed it and would recom Interesting one this。 A lot of the characters conversations seemed to be used as an outlet to tell Frankie’s ideas about the world。 I agree with most of them， but I think for the sake of the medium， there could have been less of this as it gives people who don’t agree the opportunity to disregard what is a really funny， heartbreaking， unpredictable， beautiful story。I’d have probably given this five stars if it was a bit tighter in the edit， but overall I really， really enjoyed it and would recommend it。 Loads of incredibly funny observations and really well crafted story telling， just a bit bloated with personal ideology of the author which I think isn’t usually a good thing when it’s so blatant。 。。。more

Thelma Gabbett ，

Weird strange funny 😁 good book

Nicoladuffy ，

Huge fanLOL lines on every pageAs I expected， FB did not disappoint The man’s a genius

Sebastian ，

Hilarious， controversial and thought-provoking。 The novel reads like a twisted mix of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas， Sherlock Holmes and Dumb and Dumber， which makes it a fairly unorthodox crime-thriller。 Filled to the brim with political and societal commentary and jaw dropping metaphors， Boyle constantly keeps the reader wanting to push toward the next page with steadfast encouragement。 If you're looking for a book which both drags you in with constant tension and thrills， simultaneously maki Hilarious， controversial and thought-provoking。 The novel reads like a twisted mix of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas， Sherlock Holmes and Dumb and Dumber， which makes it a fairly unorthodox crime-thriller。 Filled to the brim with political and societal commentary and jaw dropping metaphors， Boyle constantly keeps the reader wanting to push toward the next page with steadfast encouragement。 If you're looking for a book which both drags you in with constant tension and thrills， simultaneously making you laugh-out-loud， this is it。 。。。more

Jennifer Tate ，

To quote a line from the book 'I understood the details， but the overall picture of what had happened didn't make a lot of sense'。This meandering drug filled murder 'investigation' floats past interesting plot points and instead focuses on drug filled encounters with different characters。I guess I just didn't get it， it's not for me but I'm sure there are people out there that will get it and enjoy it。 To quote a line from the book 'I understood the details， but the overall picture of what had happened didn't make a lot of sense'。This meandering drug filled murder 'investigation' floats past interesting plot points and instead focuses on drug filled encounters with different characters。I guess I just didn't get it， it's not for me but I'm sure there are people out there that will get it and enjoy it。 。。。more

Tom - Reader of Books ，

If you’ve heard of Frankie Boyle， you’ll know he excelled a being a controversial comedian。 It seems like he’s trying to take that forward into this book but it’s much more forced。 In essence， he’s trying to hard to make analogies shocking and for the most part they don’t work。When you take all of that aside， there’s actually an interesting take on a police/crime procedural。 If Boyle just focused on being the best author he could be than trying to be a controversial comedian writing a book， the If you’ve heard of Frankie Boyle， you’ll know he excelled a being a controversial comedian。 It seems like he’s trying to take that forward into this book but it’s much more forced。 In essence， he’s trying to hard to make analogies shocking and for the most part they don’t work。When you take all of that aside， there’s actually an interesting take on a police/crime procedural。 If Boyle just focused on being the best author he could be than trying to be a controversial comedian writing a book， the next effort will be significantly stronger。 。。。more

Jim Reid ，

I am not a great reviewer and very rarely leave any ramblings on my thoughts however here goes。 Very short and not so sweet。I wasn't sure I wanted to read this。 I like Frankie Boyle as a comedian and political commentator but am always unsure about celebrities becoming writers。 I was underwhelmed by Richard Osman's Midsummer Murders like murder mystery but like him a lot。 I don't think I will read the sequels。This was ok and fairly easy to read but give me Irvine Welsh any day。 If there is a seq I am not a great reviewer and very rarely leave any ramblings on my thoughts however here goes。 Very short and not so sweet。I wasn't sure I wanted to read this。 I like Frankie Boyle as a comedian and political commentator but am always unsure about celebrities becoming writers。 I was underwhelmed by Richard Osman's Midsummer Murders like murder mystery but like him a lot。 I don't think I will read the sequels。This was ok and fairly easy to read but give me Irvine Welsh any day。 If there is a sequel I may read it though。 。。。more

Allison Clough ，

Hilarious， original， farcical， such a fun， entertaining read， with a lot to say about the human condition too。 Frankie Boyle is the king of similie and metaphor， but that's been obvious for years from his comedy。 Narration was great too， think it added to my enjoyment， glad I did it on audiobook。 Hilarious， original， farcical， such a fun， entertaining read， with a lot to say about the human condition too。 Frankie Boyle is the king of similie and metaphor， but that's been obvious for years from his comedy。 Narration was great too， think it added to my enjoyment， glad I did it on audiobook。 。。。more

Tom Ferguson ，

Incoherent ramblings from Boyle。 It was laugh out funny at times but he is trying to squeeze in way too many themes and personal rants。 The drugs chat got a bit boring。 A better editor would have helped。

Paul ，

I like Frankie Boyle as a comedian and his first crime novel doesn't disappoint。 The first half of the book does have a bit too much scene setting and too much detail on drug use。 I really started enjoying the book when the investigation really gets going。 The end is well done and moving。 I hope there are more novels to come。 I like Frankie Boyle as a comedian and his first crime novel doesn't disappoint。 The first half of the book does have a bit too much scene setting and too much detail on drug use。 I really started enjoying the book when the investigation really gets going。 The end is well done and moving。 I hope there are more novels to come。 。。。more

Clive Millard ，

Disappointed in this and got bored and gave up。 At the beginning， being a Frankie Boyle fan， I thought there was some very funny bits but I felt that the story was treated as an excuse for drugged rambling。Far to much text about what drugs the protagonist was taking and how he was feeling that bored me in the end and discouraged me from carrying on。Didn't get past P125。 Disappointed in this and got bored and gave up。 At the beginning， being a Frankie Boyle fan， I thought there was some very funny bits but I felt that the story was treated as an excuse for drugged rambling。Far to much text about what drugs the protagonist was taking and how he was feeling that bored me in the end and discouraged me from carrying on。Didn't get past P125。 。。。more

robert ，

Go read this。It's supposedly a crime novel， but observant and astute enough to be shelved in the literature section。 And a magnificently executed emotional gut punch near the end。 Go read this。It's supposedly a crime novel， but observant and astute enough to be shelved in the literature section。 And a magnificently executed emotional gut punch near the end。 。。。more

Roy ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I’m pleased to have finished this， but it was something of a slog。 The humour / authorial voice is strong and prevalent。 The main character， didn’t really warm to them until almost too late。 Who did it and why？ “The man？“ Because “reasons”？ Conspiracy？ What， who， why？ I could have done with a poirot to explain it all。 Still。Give it a go。

Shell ，

This is a perfect example of why some famous people should never try and write a novel。 I gave up at 50 per cent and if there was 2 pages in all that lot that had the crime story in it， I'd be amazed。 The rest of it is just the main character commenting on politics， social ills， general opinions on life， even ramblings like commenting on each track on a Beatle's album。 The most boring aspect though are pages and pages of Felix lying in bed or in the bath or many places sharing his tedious memori This is a perfect example of why some famous people should never try and write a novel。 I gave up at 50 per cent and if there was 2 pages in all that lot that had the crime story in it， I'd be amazed。 The rest of it is just the main character commenting on politics， social ills， general opinions on life， even ramblings like commenting on each track on a Beatle's album。 The most boring aspect though are pages and pages of Felix lying in bed or in the bath or many places sharing his tedious memories of past trips on various drugs。 This was not a crime story， it was a way for Frankie to spill all his guff onto the page and bore us all to tears。 。。。more

L A ，

A dark comedy/thriller/murder mystery set in Glasgow written by Frankie Boyle？ Well you know a book like this will be anything but boring。 I could write a long review about the ins and outs of this book but it's probably easier just to say that I found myself taking photos of multiple paragraphs in this book and sending them to my friends to make them laugh。 It's that kind of book。 As with all of these types of books it has a bit of a lull in the middle and the storyline is a little simplistic b A dark comedy/thriller/murder mystery set in Glasgow written by Frankie Boyle？ Well you know a book like this will be anything but boring。 I could write a long review about the ins and outs of this book but it's probably easier just to say that I found myself taking photos of multiple paragraphs in this book and sending them to my friends to make them laugh。 It's that kind of book。 As with all of these types of books it has a bit of a lull in the middle and the storyline is a little simplistic but overall， a very， very funny read。 。。。more

Corinne Fitzgerald ，

Impossible to finish。 The rambling， incoherent narrative you’d expect from a narrator on drugs， but what I didn’t expect was the pompous， continual banality of his internal monologue。 I didn’t care about him， or the murdered woman， or any of the rag tag band of misfits he’d enlisted to help him solve the crime。 I gave up about page 150 when the plot had started to devolve past my ability to follow， even allowing for the narrator’s drug- addled brain。

Tom Noon ，

Gritty and hilarious， throughly enjoyed this one。 A moving and unexpected ending too。

Mette Baillie ，

like irvine welsh in glasgow。

Louise Mullins ，

This is by far my best read of 2022。 A darkly comedic， gritty crime novel。 Gripping from the start， this book keeps you engrossed until the perfect end。 I highly recommend this book to anyone who fancies a cross between that reads like Irvine Welsh and Ian Rankin's lovechild。 This is by far my best read of 2022。 A darkly comedic， gritty crime novel。 Gripping from the start， this book keeps you engrossed until the perfect end。 I highly recommend this book to anyone who fancies a cross between that reads like Irvine Welsh and Ian Rankin's lovechild。 。。。more

Clicky Steve ，

The first novel from funnyman Frankie Boyle。 I like Frankie’s stand up， and his political columns， so was looking forward to this。 I enjoyed the story and observations， though it did have a tendency to be overly descriptive for the sake of jokes， in a way which didn’t really add to the narrative， and could be distracting。 I’m curious to see if Frankie writes more， as I’d read them。

Simon ，

As you'd imagine it has some superb one liners。 Beyond that， utter shite。 As you'd imagine it has some superb one liners。 Beyond that， utter shite。 。。。more

Brian-Patrick ，

A top notch debut novel， I just turned the last page on it just now。 Highly recommended and spans laugh out loud moments， poignancy and all between。 Well done， bring on some more Frankie。 Loved it。

Benjamin John Tolley ，

Didn’t think I’d like it。 But despite myself I did， once I’d got over all the narrative about drugs all the time。

Julian ，

A story with the unpredictability of Frankie Boyle's humour， but some twists left me questioning his storytelling。 A story with the unpredictability of Frankie Boyle's humour， but some twists left me questioning his storytelling。 。。。more

Emma Stoker ，

Just finished Meantime by Frankie Boyle and what a ride！My favourite quote from the book made me HOWL - "You'd never get a Scottish version of The Matrix， because anyone up here who was offered two pills would just gub both of them。"This is such a great piece of tartan noir。 Set in a post Scottish independence referendum world， Felix sets out on a mission to find out who murdered his pal。 He uses the help of some quirky characters alongside the usual uppers， downers， turnyerheedarounders。I reall Just finished Meantime by Frankie Boyle and what a ride！My favourite quote from the book made me HOWL - "You'd never get a Scottish version of The Matrix， because anyone up here who was offered two pills would just gub both of them。"This is such a great piece of tartan noir。 Set in a post Scottish independence referendum world， Felix sets out on a mission to find out who murdered his pal。 He uses the help of some quirky characters alongside the usual uppers， downers， turnyerheedarounders。I really enjoyed this one， anything set in Scotland immediately peaks my interest。 Its dark and twisted but subtly hilarious。 If your a fan of Boyle's comedy then this one is definitely for you。Only thing I would have liked to add would be Scottish dialect！ Overall， fab book， I'd recommend！ 。。。more

Lucy Reynolds ，

I initially struggled getting into this as I was just reading it in Frankie's delivery voice - I'm very familiar with his comedy and am a big fan。 I also live in Glasgow so was clocking the real-life and not-so opaque references to real-life establishments。 However， once I got over this， I really enjoyed it and the late gut-punch was genuinely emotive。 I don't think the plot was perfect but this novel is a great addition to Scottish Crime fiction - more Christopher Brookmyre than Val McDermaid - I initially struggled getting into this as I was just reading it in Frankie's delivery voice - I'm very familiar with his comedy and am a big fan。 I also live in Glasgow so was clocking the real-life and not-so opaque references to real-life establishments。 However， once I got over this， I really enjoyed it and the late gut-punch was genuinely emotive。 I don't think the plot was perfect but this novel is a great addition to Scottish Crime fiction - more Christopher Brookmyre than Val McDermaid - and I'm really looking forward to Frankie's next novel。 。。。more

Kristian Greiner ，

This was just fantastic。 Its funny to the point of being physically debilitating， with rare moments of acute vulnerability that makes me reflexively slam the book shut。 I remember Boyle once saying that in his jokes the tension does not arrive in the set-up， but in the punchline， and this book certainly underlines that。 If I was to elaborate on that， the most quintessential Boyle-joke would be a set-up offering hope， while the punchline offers uncharted despair。 I can't really attest to the book This was just fantastic。 Its funny to the point of being physically debilitating， with rare moments of acute vulnerability that makes me reflexively slam the book shut。 I remember Boyle once saying that in his jokes the tension does not arrive in the set-up， but in the punchline， and this book certainly underlines that。 If I was to elaborate on that， the most quintessential Boyle-joke would be a set-up offering hope， while the punchline offers uncharted despair。 I can't really attest to the books political musings， not being scottish or well versed in scottish politics， but I don't really feel alienated or dwarfed by how the book approaches it。 Even so there are still subjects with a relative broadness for me to enjoy。The plot is perhaps where I lose myself most， as I found it got lost in the deluge of observations and jokes。 At the same time it was kind of difficult to grasp the 'seriousness' of it， which admitedly sounds odd when its a murder mystery。 The chapters are fairly short， but even so I found myself losing the thread towards the later mid-section， and the sidecharacters can be a bit difficult to keep track of。 It is also impossible to read this without hearing Frankie everywhere， which occassionally feel jarring when the language and attitude doesn't feel 'at home' in the characters themselves。 Even so， theres a lovely diverse cast of tragic and misbegotten people who， although they seem morally repugnant， are still treated with humanity。Definitely pick this up， you won't regret it。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Meantime

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Meantime&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Meantime&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0